A line of specialty elastomers is being added to polyolefins to create rigid thermoplastic olefins (TPE), soft thermoplastic elastomers (TPE), and transparent compounds or polymer blends for applications that require improved toughness, impact strength, flexibility, elasticity, clarity, reduced stress whitening, or weight reductions. ExxonMobil Chemical’s Vistamaxx is being added to plastics which see use in flexible hoses/tubing, adhesives, containers, and semi-rigid/rigid food-contact packages. Vistamaxx was initially focused on applications in nonwoven films, but the company is now anticipating broader markets, including blowmolded and injection molded goods.
Vistamaxx reportedly exhibits excellent compatibility with polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP). ExxonMobil says compounds become more flexible as Vistamaxx levels increase, while tensile strength drops steeply with the addition of the elastomer due to a reduction in the blend’s crystallinity. ExxonMobil is at Chinaplas 2009, stand 10.2/D41. —[email protected]
